It is known in the prior art to form bulk packages of objects stacked in layers. In particular, it is known to form multi-tiered or multi-layered bulk packages of individual packages whereby the individual packages may be shipped and stored in bulk prior to separate sale thereof to a customer.
Obviously it is advantageous to hold costs of bulk packaging to a minimum while providing a bulk package which has the requisite strength requirements. Such considerations become especially significant when the individual objects to be bulk packaged for shipment and storage are themselves relatively inexpensive. Examples of this latter type of object are individual wrapped packages of one or more roll paper products. It is also desirable to minimize the weight of the bulk package itself to hold down transport costs.
A number of bulk package arrangements have been devised for transporting and storing a large number of individual packages of roll paper products such as paper towels and toilet tissue. One such bulk package found to be particularly suitable for products of this nature is a bulk package employing a bottom tray disposed under the lower-most layer of a plurality of layers of individual packages, a top cap disposed over the upper-most layer, and a plurality of elongated post members extending between the bottom tray and the top cap. This entire assembly is conventionally over-wrapped with plastic film for subsequent shipping and storage.
It has been conventional practice up to the present to manually construct a bulk package of the type just described. Obviously, such a procedure is labor intensive and expensive.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for forming a bulk package of the afore-described type. The preferred form of apparatus disclosed herein is specifically adapted to form a bulk package including a plurality of individual packages of roll towels or the like. Not only does the apparatus efficiently and quickly form such a bulk package, it is capable of forming bulk packages of different sizes and from different sized individual packages.